Injuries plaguing RSL as midseason point approaches

The story of Real Salt Lake’s season has, in a word, been injuries.

Injuries, and lots of them.

Those injuries have left RSL shorthanded, and now with six to eight players being out for huge swathes of the season — most of them for easily half of it — it becomes clear that things simply haven’t gone as planned.

Jordan Allen: All season

After undergoing a knee surgery during the offseason, Allen has been elusive. There’s very rarely been a timeframe offered on his recoveries, having been under the knife several times since joining the club.

Shawn Barry: March to present

It’s a rough thing when new signings end up with injuries, and after going down against LAFC, Shawn Barry hasn’t been seen again, thanks to a knee injury. Offering defensive depth would be nice right about now.

Tony Beltran: All season

Injured near the end of last season, Beltran is on the road to recovery. He’s not back in full training, but he’s been seen jogging (in club video, no less) and has been targeted for an August return. Obviously, there are plenty of questions about that, but it’s at least something.

David Horst: Now, and the remainder of the season

Even under a best case, Horst is probably out for six months, which places his return squarely in 2019. But given he suffered a full tear, I can’t imagine he’d be back even in time for next preseason.

Alex Horwath: All season, sort of

After joining the club in the offseason and making the bench behind Nick Rimando, second-choice goalkeeper Alex Horwath promptly ruptured his achilles tendon. He’ll likely be out for the whole season.

Luke Mulholland: Nearly all season

After being a bit of an ironman for Real Salt Lake, Luke Mulholland has found himself with just one minute of action in 2018, coming on in the club’s third match of the year. He’s undergone back surgery, and I haven’t seen an updated timeline for his return.

Taylor Peay: Intermittent

After being in and out of contention with injuries, Peay looks to be fit again — but he’s yet to make an MLS appearance for the club. He might be forced into action shortly, but he hasn’t been making the bench with great frequency.

Demar Phillips: April to present

After surprising everyone by starting the first five matches of the season, Demar Phillips took to injury and has been out with an ankle concern since.

Non-injuries

Adam Henley: Most of the season

Signing Adam Henley was supposed to be a chance for us to bring in a right back with Premier League experience. Instead, we’ve ended up with a defender with just a few appearances, none of which were particularly convincing. He’s apparently behind Aaron Herrera in the pecking order.

Alfredo Ortuño: Most of the season

When you sign a $1m-a-year striker, you expect him to be able to, you know, play. Ortuño hasn’t, with training habits being widely cited as the reason that Mike Petke hasn’t even had the Spaniard on the bench.